Australia’s social media ban on minors: 6 months on

By Edurne Morillo

Sydney, Australia, June 4 (EFE).- Australia on Thursday marked six months since the implementation of the law prohibiting access to major social media platforms for those under 16, and while the pioneering measure has inspired similar initiatives in other countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Maldives, its nationwide impact is in question and has divided experts, authorities, and young people.

The legislation officially came into effect on Dec. 10, 2025, and requires platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and YouTube to adopt «reasonable measures» to prevent minors under 16 from maintaining or creating accounts, under threat of fines of up to AU$49.5 million. Meta started blocking new accounts and deactivating profiles of Australian teenagers as early as Dec. 4.

During the first few weeks, the major platforms deleted or blocked around 4.7 million accounts. However, the Australian internet safety regulator, eSafety, acknowledged in March that “major gaps” in the implementation of age verification requirements, and opened investigations into several platforms.

Six months later, it remains unclear how effective the measure has been. On Thursday, a survey by Pureprofile, a market research firm specializing in age verification, based on interviews with only 1,025 Australian parents, teachers, and young people (out of a population of 28 million), concluded that 78 percent of those under 16 still access online platforms, and found 76 percent support for the law.

According to the study, only one in three minors under 16 has undergone facial scanning to verify their age online, while half of those who used this technology were incorrectly identified as being over 16.

Critical voices

The measure continues to be questioned by young people. Janice Rodrigues, Australia’s youth representative to the United Nations for 2026, says many young people feel their opinions were ignored during the legislative process.

«A lot of young people are frustrated because they feel like they are involved in youth groups or student councils or different things where they constantly tell decision makers what they want and try and provide feedback, and for the majority of the time they’re not really listened to,» Rodrigues told EFE.

She explained that many teenagers believe the ban has deprived them of access to socialization, support, and civic participation.

Rodrigues stated that social media allowed many young people to discover educational opportunities, community activities, and initiatives.

«With people with disability as well, it’s come up about support networks existing online (…) and especially with queer young people, you’re more aware of different groups that you can follow or organizations or pages that have events that support queer young people,» she noted, questioning whether the ban has produced any visible improvements in mental health.

Privacy and verification

Similar criticisms were expressed by John Pane, chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), an organization dedicated to defending digital rights. He told EFE that minors can circumvent the ban in many different ways, citing the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), family members’ accounts, or make up to get around biometric verification systems.

«What they should have done is to break the business model of big tech. There should be a greater focus on education of kids for safe online experiences, studying in primary school, going through to secondary school, so they will have a complete skill set on how to engage online as a citizen and to understand what the risks are,» he argued.

Pane also expressed concern about the expansion of age verification systems based on facial recognition or identity documents, warning of potential risks to privacy and data protection.

The Australian government and its supporters maintain that the measure protects the mental health of minors by reducing their exposure to harmful content, harassment, digital addiction, social pressure, and algorithmic manipulation.

In the preceding debate, the testimony of parents who lost their children to suicide after online harassment and who participated in public events supported by the government also carried weight.

Upcoming evaluation

At the end of March, eSafety launched an investigation into five major platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube) and expects to decide on possible corrective measures in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, the next major test of the regulations’ success will come in the coming months, as eSafety commissioned an independent evaluation of the law’s impact from an academic advisory group led by Stanford University (US) in September 2025. The results are expected by the end of this year.

The study will analyze changes in minors’ use of social media, the impact on their well-being, and the effectiveness of law enforcement mechanisms, among other aspects. EFE

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